ONEIDA -- Washington politicians are to blame for the country's downgraded credit rating, a result of Congress' irresponsible action to raise the country's debt ceiling, says local Tea Party Patriots Coordinator Michael Kicinski.

Confident that lawmakers didn't read the debt deal bill before voting, Kicinski said the country's debt ceiling should've been reduced, not increased. The country's downgraded credit rating by Standard & Poor's from a AAA to a AA plus is a direct result of work in Washington, he said.

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Politicians need to get back to Washington and "do the right thing," Kicinski said. Noting Owens' absence from the country -- he's on a trip to Israel -- Kicinski commented, "that shows you how concerned he is with the economy."

The debt deal bill needs to be repealed, he insisted. Spending needs to be reduced, specifically on "pork" like NPR and Planned Parenthood, and new taxes shouldn't be invented.

"Government at all levels is telling the individual to reduce spending and pay off their debt," he said. "The government has not followed its own advice."

He questioned when increases to the debt ceiling would end.

Kicinski asserts that Owens isn't listening to the majority, that he isn't fulfilling his promises and should be voted out of office.

Kicinski, from Earlville, hoped by protesting, others would be encouraged to speak out and still pay attention to an issue he says the media is not covering as much as it should.

Owens' spokesman Sean Magers reported that the congressman is in Israel as a Congressional delegate, along with 81 other members of Congress, for a week-long trip with the American Israel Education Foundation. He'll be back in the country Monday.

Addressing the debt deal debate, Magers said Owens has been on record for months calling for a compromise. He said the bill that was approved wasn't a "perfect piece of legislation," as it did not include the expiration of tax breaks for the wealthy, but it enacts long-term spending cuts, a critical component that Owens wouldn't have supported without.

Owens has also fiercely supported increased revenues, specifically allowing tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. Unfortunately that wasn't included in the bill, but Owens decided to compromise rather than allow the government to go into default, causing mortgage rates, small business loans, car loans and credit card rates to be affected, Magers said.

In response to the credit rating downgrade, Owens believes "this is just another wake up call that Congress needs to heed," a message to come together, abandon politics, increase revenues, cut spending and get the budget on track, Magers said.

Increasing the debt ceiling wasn't done to enable Congress to spend more, Magers said, but instead to "make good" on obligations it already made, to "pay the bills that had already racked up."

Magers said Owens and his staff appreciate Kicinski's actions in protesting. He encouraged all residents of the 23rd Congressional District to contact Owens.